This article has been written by Harry, one of our brilliant sustainability volunteers.
This July, Open SU is inviting students to Take the Jump: a practical summer challenge built around everyday changes that can reduce carbon impact without making life feel impossible. The challenge covers six areas – buying less, holidaying locally, eating greener, choosing second-hand or longer-lasting clothing, travelling more sustainably, and making one wider change that helps shift the system.
That message is stronger because Open SU has also looked at its own impact. For the 2023/24 financial year, Open SU's carbon footprint was measured at 114.4 tonnes CO2e (CO2e means carbon dioxide equivalent: a standard way of comparing different greenhouse gases using one shared measure).
The main headline is that Open SU's footprint is almost entirely Scope 3. Our emission for Scope 1 and 2, which cover direct emissions and purchased energy, are very small. Scope 3 accounts for 99.5% of the total because it includes the wider activities that support the organisation – purchasing, travel, commuting, homeworking, waste and investments.
The biggest source is procurement. Purchased goods and services account for 69.0 tonnes CO2e, around 60.3% of the total footprint. That makes buying decisions one of the strongest opportunities for future action, especially around the students shop, printed materials, packaging and supplier choices. Choosing suppliers with clearer carbon information, reducing unnecessary purchasing, and exploring more circular models could all help reduce the footprint over time.
Other areas also matter. Investments contribute around 14%, homeworking 9.9%, business travel 7.9%, and staff commuting 4.9%. Waste is comparatively low but it's still worth checking through simple actions, like auditing what goes into landfill bins.
This is where Take the Jump connects with the data. Repairing something instead of replacing it links directly to consumption and procurement. Choosing second-hand clothing supports longer product life. Eating more plant-rich meals and cutting food waste makes climate action visible in daily routines. Walking, cycling, using public transport or holidaying locally all connect with travel-related emissions.
The point is not that one person has to fix everything. The point is that measurement helps us see where impact sits, and challenges like Take the Jump help turn that insight into action. Open SU now has a baseline it can use to track progress, and students and staff have a friendly way to get involved this July. Together, that makes climate action feel less abstract – and much more doable.
Find out more about how to get involved in Take the Jump!